Bulk materials container



Oct. 1, 1968 SCHWANER 3,403,835

BULK MATERIALS CONTAINER Filed July 17, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 i i \3 i L ;E

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INVENTOR. J 0: M. ScHwA/vEK United States Patent 3,403,835 BULK MATERIALS CONTAINER Jon M. Schwaner, Zionsville, Ind., assignor to Inland Container Corporation, Indianapolis, Ind., 21 corporation of Indiana Filed July 17, 1967, Ser. No. 653,895 2 Claims. (Cl. 229-15) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A multi-cell or compartmented container of corrugated board particularly adapted for flowable bulk materials, and formed of separate unitary cells which have certain panels of each cell secured in face-to-face relation permitting the container to be folded or collapsed into a generally flat contour, the final setting-up of the container forming it into its completed multi-cell form.

Background of the invention Field of the invention.The invention relates to foldedblank container of the multi-cell type which can be transported or stored pre-assembled in fiat, collapsed condition and erected at the point of filling or use.

Description of the prior art.In the packaging of bulk materials which are flowable and of considerable mass, various types of fiber, steel or wooden drums, of various configurations, are utilized. These containers or drums are required to support amounts of material weighing in the order of 3,000 pounds and this relatively heavy weight must be supported, with the loaded containers often stacked atop each other, for relatively long periods of time in storage or transport. Sidewall strength alone, unless the sidewalls of the container are elaborately reinforced, usually is inadequate to resist bulging and deformation under these conditions. Multiple cell or compartment containers, which reduce the load on the outer sidewalls of the container and increase the stacking strength, have alleviated this difficulty in bulk packaging, however, other disadvantages are inherent in these compartmented containers. In general, they must either be glued or fastened in erected condition at the point of manufacture of the containers, in which case they are difficult and bulky to store or to ship to the point of use (loading location), or if they are left in collapsed, unassembled condition for ease in storing or transport, then the gluing or fastening and final assembly of the compartmented containers must be accomplished at the loading location.

Summary of the invention The present invention provides a compartmented or multi-cell container in which all but a small final assembly operation may be carried out at the point of manufacture of the container and the substantially completely assembled container may still be shipped or stored in flattened or collapsed condition.

Brief description of the drawings FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a multi-cell container embodying the present invention.

FIG. la is a schematic, top plan 'view of the container of FIG. 1 at an intermediate step in its erection.

FIG. 1b is a top plan view of the container of FIG. 1 at a further intermediate step in its erection.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the container of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the container of FIG. 1 prior to folding of the top and bottom flaps.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, sectional view illustrating the container of FIG. 1 with a flanged cap or cover in place.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a modified form of the present invention and illustrates a single subassembly of the complete container assembly in modified form, the subassembly being shown in partially set-up condition.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but showing a further subassembly of the modified container.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the modified form of the container assembly made up of the two components shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the two components being shown in FIG. 7 slightly spaced at surfaces which may be fastened at final set-up of the container assembly.

FIG. 8 is a top plan view, similar to FIG. 7, of a further modified form of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of one of the components or subassemblies of FIG. 8 shown in partially erected condition.

FIG. 10 is a top plan view similar to FIG. 8 but showing a further modified form of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the container of FIG. 10 shown in partially erected condition.

FIG. 12 is a top plan view, similar to FIG. 10, showing a further modified form of the present invention, the structure being shown just prior to final positioning.

Description of the preferred embodiments Referring initially to FIGS. 1-4, a hexagonal, multicompartment container, embodying the present invention, will be described. The container is composed of three subassemblies identified at 10, 11 and 12 in FIG. 2. Subassembly 10 is composed of side panels 10a, 10b, 10c and 10d. Similarly, the four-sided subassembly 11 is composed of joined side panels 11a, 11b, 11c and 11d, and the subassembly 12 is formed by joined side panels 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 the subassemblies may be provided with flaps at the upper ends of the subassemblies, identified at 13 in FIGS. 1 and 3, the junction between the flaps and the side panels being defined by spaced score lines 13a to permit folding over of the flaps 13 as indicated in FIG. 4. Similarly, the base of the subassemblies may be provided with flaps 14 which can be folded upwardly as shown in FIG. 1 and handed as indicated at 16. The base of the container may be closed by a tray type base or any other suitable closure means and the closure may be interlocked with the flaps 14 in a fashion similar to the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 4 with respect to a cover structure to be described.

As may be seen in FIG. 4 the downturned flange 13 of the side panels accommodates the downwardly flanged margin 18 of a conventional tray-type cover 19 which is banded on the container by the metal band 21.

The container is initially formed by manufacturing, in conventional fashion, the three rectangular, tubular subassemblies 10, 11 and 12 and gluing or otherwise fastening together the adjacent panels 10d-11b and panels 11e12b as shown in FIG. 1b. This results in a generally L-shaped, attached series of subassemblies. In this form the container can be collapsed into a generally fiat contour as shown in FIG. 1a where the outer two subassemblies 10 and 12 are shown in an intermediate position prior to complete flattening, In the flattened or collapsed form the containers may be stored or transported and occupy minimum space. When the assembly is to be loaded, the collapsed structure may be moved through the position of FIG. 101 into the position of FIG. 1b. The transition from the configuration of FIG. 1b into the contour of FIG. 2 is accomplished by moving the side panels and into face-to-face arrangement, as suggested by the arrow in FIG. 1a.

As will be evident, the subassembly or cell sections divide the total load into smaller increments and the interior panels act as structural members which transmit a portion of the bulge forces from the exterior to the center of the container. These interior panels also act as vertical, structural members and increase the stacking strength of the assembly. The assembly can be emptied as a unit or each cell may be emptied individually and thus pre-measured quantities of more than one product can be transported in a single container assembly. Also, if the assembly has not been glued or otherwise fastened together at 10c and 120 at the time of assembly (loading), it may be collapsed into the flat form, after unloading, for subsequent reuse.

Referring now to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, a modified form of the container assembly embodying the present invention will be described. As will be evident from FIG. 7, this modified form of container assembly, when complete, has a generally rectangular configuration as contrasted to the hexagonal configuration of the container of FIG. 1. This form of the container assembly may have the top and bottom flange arrangement shown in FIG. 1 and may utilize tray-type base and cover, the particular top closure and base for the container being independent of the inventive concept of the container assembly. The completed container assembly is composed of eight cells or rectangular subassemblies identified at 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28 and 29, as indicated at FIG. 7. The cells 21, 22, 23 and 24 are glued or otherwise secured together at facing side panels as indicated at 21a, 22a and 23a. The other L-shaped series of cells are attached together at facing side panels as indicated at 26a, 27a and 28a. The complete container is fabricated from the two L-shaped series of cells which are moved into interfitting relation at the point of assembly of the complete container. FIG. 5 illustrates the four cell series identified at 21, 22, 23 and 24. As shown in FIG. 5 the four cell arrangement after gluing at the panel faces 21a, 22a and 23a may be moved into a collapsed or substantially flat configuration, FIG. 5 illustrating an intermediate stage in the collapsing process. Similarly, FIG. 6 illustrates an intermediate stage in the collapsing of the container subassembly formed by the cells 26, 27, 28 and 29.

The subassemblies of FIGS. 5 and 6 may be stored or transported in their flattened contour and, at the point of use (loading), they may be erected into the dual, L- shaped series of cells. When so erected, the two L-shaped subassemblies may be moved into interfitting relation as shown in FIG. 7. The two subassemblies then may be secured together by gluing, or other fastening means, at the facing side panels of the two subassemblies for increased unit rigidity. As shown in FIG. 7 the two subassemblies are shown spaced somewhat, however, it will be understood that in the final assembly operation, the two subassemblies are moved into engaging relationship. The completed assembly provides a strongly reinforced, eight-cell container of generally rectangular configuration.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate a six cell assembly, the assembly being made up of subassemblies each formed by an L-shaped series of rectangular cells. FIG. 9 illustrates one of the subassemblies at an intermediate stage in reducing it to a flattened contour, the series of cells shown in FIG. 9 being identified as 31, 32 and 33. It will be understood that a similar flattened subassembly may be formed from the cells 34, 36 and 37 of FIG. 8. As previously mentioned with respect to the structure of FIG. 7, the two L-shaped subassemblies, at the point of use, are erected as shown in FIG. 8 and interfitted and may be fastened together by gluing or otherwise securing opposing panels of the two subassemblies. The completed assembly provides a generally rectangular container having six cells.

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate a further modified form of the invention in which the final container assembly has four cells. Referring to FIG. 10, the container is formed by a single subassembly which itself is made up of cells 41, 42, 43 and 44. The cells are glued or otherwise fastened to each other at the facing panels 41a, 42a and 43a. The panels of the cells 41 and 44 are not fastened together when the container is fabricated so that the four cells may be collapsed into a generally flat contour as indicated in FIG. 11 which illustrates an intermediate stage in the folding or flattening process. At the point of use the container assembly is completed by bringing together the adjacent panels of the cells 41 and 44 (shown spaced apart somewhat in FIG. 10).

FIG. 12 illustrates a two cell form of the container assembly. This container assembly is formed of two cells 52 and 53 having reinforced walls at 54 and 56. The reinforcement at 54 is formed by a flattened container cell glued or otherwise secured to the panel 52a when the box is fabricated. The container cell which becomes the reinforcing portion '56 has its side panels glued to the facing side panels of the cells 52 and 53 permitting the container assembly to be folded into a fiat contour. When erected, an intermediate stage in this process being illustrated in FIG. 12, the cell forming the reinforcing member 56 is flattened. The final operation, which completes the assembly, is the moving of the facing panels of the cells 52 and 53 into engaging relation. The completed assembly provides a two-cell container reinforced on its two longer sides.

I claim:

1. A multi-cell container assembly comprising a plurality of polygonal container subassemblies, said container subassemblies each being joined to each of its adjacent subassemblies at a single side panel to form one or more L-shaped, attached series of subassemblies, further panels of said subassemblies within the bight of said L-shaped series being positioned in abutting relation to form a multi-cell container assembly in which at least two panels of each polygonal subassembly is reinforced by an adjacent subassembly panel.

2. A multi-cell container as claimed in claim 1 in which a single L-shaped series of three subassemblies is initially formed and the multi-cell container is given a hexagonal configuration by subsequently positioning in abutting relation the two opposed panels within the bight of the L-shaped series.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,812,126 6/1931 Walker 22915 2,046,985 7/1936 Wilkins 22915 XR 2,695,238 11/1954 Ferguson 22915 XR 2,782,951 2/1957 Inman 22915 XR 3,082,930 3/1963 Watts et al. 22915 XR 3,260,440 7/1966 Foley 22915 DAVIS T. MOORHEAD, Primary Examiner. 

